Parent News COVID-19 Edition (March 2020)

Parent News COVID-19 Edition

Posted on 03/20/2020

Good
Evening Academy of Science and Innovation Families,

I
hope that you are well and safe. Yesterday, our Superintendent of Schools sent
out an email as well as a phone message, with the latest CREC updates on where
CREC stands in regard to COVID-19. I will reiterate that we have no known cases
in the CREC Community at this time; however we expect the school closure to
continue for quite some time.

I
am reaching out tonight to share the plans that we at ASI have to provide
distance learning during the school shut down. First, I want to let you know
that your ASI administrators, teachers, para-educators, associate instructors,
custodians and front office staff are thinking of you all and are here to help
you during this crisis.

It
is VERY important that ALL students are connected to Schoology. Schoology is
the platform that we will use to connect with students on a daily basis to
submit and receive classwork. We also will be delivering instruct through a
platform called Zoom. Your child’s teacher will be posting Zoom links for
students courses so that they can join a discussion and have some FaceTime with
teachers.

If
you do not have internet, or a device for your child to use – we can
HELP! If you have not yet let the Main Office know your needs, PLEASE
respond to my email and we will make arrangements for you to get what you need.

Expect
your child’s teacher to reach out sometime next week, if they haven’t already.
PLEASE respond – answer the phone, respond to the email or Schoology message so
that we can include your family in the learning and even in the FUN.

The Superintendent has required all schools to postpone
the prom. While this is disappointing, it is a necessary step to stop
the spread of COVID-19. Once the state health officials deem it to be safe, we
will reschedule the prom during a time when as many students as possible can
attend. We will reconvene the prom committee to determine when and where
we will hold it once we have a safety clearance. We are recommending that
no one spend more money on prom activities until we have more clarity.

Graduation will not be cancelled, but it is likely that
we will have to move the date. The superintendent has given me the authority to
certify the graduates once our coursework is complete, and with or without the
ceremony ,our seniors will be deemed graduates in the end of June and be able
to report to colleges and employers that they have earned their diploma.
Once we have safety clearance we will reschedule to a date which will allow the
most students to participate. We will not hold graduation when most
college attending seniors are away at college, but we acknowledge that some
students may not be able to attend the rescheduled ceremony based on their post
secondary plans. I am happy to pose for photos handing every student a diploma
in their caps and gowns once we have medical clearance. We are disappointed for
our seniors, but know their health must take precedence.

More
communication on ASI's Distance Learning Plan will be sent to families on
Tuesday. We will begin Distance Learning with students on Thursday.
Please be patient and flexible with staff as we embrace distance learning as
this is new for all of us.

We
are thinking of you and hoping that we will all be together again soon.